The Broken Journey
by KrashBoomBang
Summary: Yodel is a young man living in Aquelia with his sister Holly when he sets out on a holy journey, just like all priests in the church of Saint Elimine. However, as he meets new people and sees new places, his perception of the journey, the church, and his own life is completely altered.


Yodel walked through the simple, wooden doors of the church, carrying a somewhat overstuffed satchel with him as he approached the podium. Today, the young priest would begin his great pilgrimage across the realm of Elibe. For nearly a millennium now, all priests hoping to rise through the ranks of the Church had taken such a journey, just as Saint Elimine had after The Scouring.

At the podium stood Bishop Luke, a stern but kind figure who had taught Yodel all he knew.

"You're setting out today, I see," Luke said in a low voice. "You have your route all planned out, right?"

"Of course, Father," Yodel responded as he pulled a map of Elibe out of his satchel, with his route appearing to have been drawn on just this morning. "Starting here in Aquelia, I'll go down to Ostia… Then I'll make my way through Lycia, stopping at Araphen to restock… Then up north to Bulgar, and farther north to Edessa… West through Ilia… Stop at Remi…" The young priest quickly rattled off all of these locations, his eyes and smile both widening.

Luke put a hand on the map and pushed it down gently, getting Yodel to look up and lock eyes with him. "Yodel. One step at a time. If you're starting here in Aquelia, what is the next place you will go?"

With a sigh, Yodel looked back to his map and pointed to the first dot he drew. "Here, Ostia. Then—"

"Yodel," Luke repeated. "You mustn't look at the journey as a whole. Break it down into pieces and take each one as it comes, lest you become overwhelmed. I wouldn't want your hair to be as gray as mine when you return," he added with a wry smile.

Yodel ran a hand through his straight purple hair, long enough to barely scrape his shoulders. He put the map back in his satchel and gave a bow. "Thank you, Father."

"Now, you've packed sufficiently, correct? Enough food and water to get to Ostia? Warm clothes for Ilia? What about—"

"Father," Yodel cut him off this time, grinning. "I'm going to be fine, don't worry. And if I am ever in need of something, then surely the people I help along the way will return my kindness and aid me back."

"Very well… All that's left is the matter of your sister."

"…Ah. Right. Holly." Yodel had nearly forgotten about his younger sister in his fervent preparations for this journey. "She's going to be under your wing, isn't she?"

"Yes, I simply wanted to know if you were going to say goodbye to her before you left."

"I already did," he lied, though Luke clearly saw through it as he crossed his arms. Looking down, Yodel let out another sigh. "Alright, I'll go say goodbye to her…"

"Thank you. And good luck, Yodel. May Saint Elimine watch over you." Luke waved as Yodel exited the church.

Yodel made his way through the streets of the Etrurian capital, transitioning from the area surrounding the church, open and covered with green, to alleyways lined with stacked buildings, each one containing multiple residences. The buildings were so tall and the alleys so thin that one could only ever see the sun when it was straight overhead: otherwise, they were cloaked in shadow.

He arrived at his home, taking a ladder up to the third door of a particular building and entering. Inside, it was a cramped apartment with only a single room, barely suitable for one person to live there, and yet it housed both Yodel and his sister. Holly sat in the corner, where a crack in the wall allowed some light to filter in and hit a potted plant she had been growing. The eight year old girl was small, slightly underweight, and dressed in some faded yellow rags that looked like she had dyed them herself. However, she appeared to be cheerful despite their deplorable conditions, and when her brother returned, she greeted him with a hug before showing him her plant.

"Brother, look! My flower started budding!" she said, hopping up and down. The sight of her forced a smile from Yodel's face, though he put a hand on top of her head to make her still.

"Don't jump too much, Holly. Our neighbors below will get upset."

"Aw… Sorry…" She looked down at her plant in her hands, but Yodel put a hand under her chin and lifted her face back up to meet his.

"It's fine. You know what's happening today, don't you? Today you get to move in with Bishop Luke."

Holly immediately perked up, running to the corner of the room and grabbing a small bag she had filled with her belongings. "Right! I'm ready to go! I'll even get to plant my flower outside the church!"

Yodel started towards the door, but hesitates, knowing he had to bring up his own departure. "…Er, Holly, you also know why you're going to live at the church, right?"

"Because you're going on your journey," she answered back immediately.

"And… You're fine with me leaving?"

"Yeah! Because I know you're gonna come back."

"…Okay." He opened the door and they climbed down the ladder, bidding their old abode farewell as they made their way back to the church. Bishop Luke was standing on the front steps with a warm smile, and Holly immediately ran right up to him and they began chatting, Yodel standing at a distance. Once the two of them were finished talking, they both looked up at him and said their goodbyes. Yodel simply waved back with a smile before turning away and heading towards the city gates.

* * *

It took him three months to get through all of Lycia. He stopped at every town he could, from the largest cities to the tiniest villages, observing everything along the way. He always sought out the darkest corners of the cities, home to the poor and neglected people who lived like he and Holly did, and he would offer them consolation and salvation in faith. Many were not so quick to convert, however, and Yodel grew more frustrated and disheartened with every person who turned him down. Why would they refuse Saint Elimine's blessing when they were in such dire straits? Couldn't they see that he only wanted to help them?

Yodel did find many opportunities to help people in need, even if they wouldn't join the church, but it did little to console him. An archbishop should be able to preach Saint Elimine's word and attract followers, he thought, so he still had a long way to go. At the moment, he was simply a wandering priest who might heal a fallen traveler or two.

His next stop was the port of Badon. The seaside town was chocked full of people, and the smell of the ocean permeated every inch of the town. Yodel had never actually seen the sea before, so this was a new experience for him. His curiosity got the better of him, as he looked around the town in awe at the ships lining the docks.

Peering out at the horizon, he could faintly make out an island surrounded by fog. Just staring at it sent a chill down his spine. Perhaps some places are best left unvisited, he thought, as he returned to looking at the ships.

One boat in particular caught his interest: it was a massive vessel, larger than all the other ships at the port. There was a lot of activity on board as the crew was seemingly preparing for their next voyage. At the front of the boat, a young man, presumably the captain, noticed Yodel gawking at his boat and hopped down onto the dock right in front of the priest, startling him off his feet. This man towered over Yodel, wearing a long purple coat with gold trim that looked brand new, yet he had no undershirt covering his hairy chest. A thin beard covered his face, and a rag was wrapped around his head. He let out a big, hearty laugh as Yodel went from cowering to confusion.

"Gwahahaha! What's the matter, little guy? Never seen a ship this big before?"

"I-I'd never seen a ship in my life, until today," Yodel stammered as he got back up. "Does this one belong to you?"

"You bet it does!" he proclaimed proudly. "The name's Fargus, and I'm the captain of this here vessel. Me and my crew are planning on setting sail for the Western Isles tonight. This'll be her maiden voyage! But enough about me, what's your deal?"

"Me? I'm—well, my name is Yodel. I'm a priest of the Saint Elimine church, and I'm traveling Elibe to spread her faith and see the world."

"Well it's nice to meet ya, Yodel!" Fargus grabbed his hand and gave him a vigorous handshake, leaving Yodel a bit dazed. "Not sure if you'll find many people who're that receptive here, though."

Yodel let out a sigh as he regained his composure. "I've found that very few people anywhere are willing to accept Saint Elimine into their lives… Oh! But what about you? Perhaps I could preach to your crew?"

Fargus gave him an incredulous stare before bursting into laughter. "Wahahaha! You really wanna try converting a bunch of pirates to your faith? Ahahaha!"

"P-Pirates?!" All the color drained from Yodel's face as he backed away from the laughing captain. "Oh no, oh no, oh no no no…. I-I'm so terribly sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Fargus stopped him as he put a hand on his shoulder, wiping some tears from his eyes. "Save it, whelp, you didn't do nothing wrong. Ya gave me a good laugh, for one thing! But ya also got my respect. It takes a lotta guts to try preaching to pirates."

Yodel refused to move while the captain had his hand on him, though a few beads of sweat ran down his face and dripped onto Fargus. "S-So you won't hurt me?"

"'Course not! In fact, I wanna introduce you to the rest of my crew! Just climb aboard. I'll even show ya around my whole ship!" Before Yodel could even react, Fargus was already back on board and motioning for him to follow. Not having much of a choice, for fear of making an enemy out of a pirate captain, Yodel reluctantly went along with him and onto the main deck of the ship.

The deck was crawling with Fargus's crew members, and while many of them did stare at the out-of-place priest, none of them stopped working due to their captain's presence. However, once the two of them were up near the bow of the ship, Fargus gave a loud whistle, and everything stopped as all the pirates looked towards him and Yodel.

"Hey, you guys! I've got someone you'll probably like! This here's Yodel, and he's the toughest priest you'll ever meet! He actually wanted to preach to us!" He gave him a pat on the back, nearly knocking Yodel over, and the whole crew burst into laughter. Yodel looked at them all, smiling nervously as Fargus continued.

"So, I'm gonna show him around before we set out. You whelps better keep working, ya hear me? And show this lad some respect! He's earned it!"

The crew gave their captain salutes and nods before returning to their tasks, while Fargus led Yodel inside to his own quarters. Thankful to be out of the spotlight, Yodel leaned against the wall and slumped down to the floor, breathing a sigh of relief. "Phew… They're quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they?"

"Yep. Lot of them are pretty new, but I'll keep them in line." Fargus walked up to Yodel, crouching down in front of him. "You don't seem to be doing so well, whelp. I bet you wish you weren't here, huh?"

Yodel vigorously shook his head. "No! Of course not! I-I'm happy to be here, truly!"

Fargus simply raised an eyebrow at the priest before picking him up by his shoulders and planting him back on his feet. "Now, ya don't need to lie to me, lad. You just got yourself in over your head a bit, and that's fine. You'll learn to swim eventually, though."

"I—no—what?"

"I kinda dragged you into this and you didn't say anything. Ya gotta learn to pick your battles, or else you'll wind up fish food."

"Pick my battles…" Yodel repeated to himself. "Like not trying to preach to pirates, right?"

"Now you're getting it!" Fargus said with a laugh. "See, you're trying to spread your faith, I get that. And you know that not everybody's gonna be very receptive. But ya can't just walk up to everyone ya meet and try converting them! They'll be more annoyed than anything if they see ya approaching all bright-eyed and ignoring what they believe."

"Oh… I see." Yodel paused, realizing how insensitive he'd probably acted to people on his journey so far. No wonder he was ignored and refused by so many. "In that case… What do you believe in, Fargus?"

"Living fast, living free, living life on the sea!" he answered with a little rhythm to his rhyme. "Nobody to tie me down or tell me what to do, and all the ocean I can explore, too!"

"Interesting… So, um, now I can tell you about Saint Elimine?" he asked sheepishly.

Fargus narrowed his eyes at the priest. "Lad, you've still got some work to do. Ya gotta get to know people more before you just start spouting your religion at them. Make friends, ya know? Learn about their lives, then figure out if they even need a faith to follow at all."

Yodel was silent for a few moments, pondering what the captain just said before speaking. "Mm. I understand. Thank you, Fargus." Yodel gave a nod and grabbed his hand for a limp handshake.

"Glad we got that all cleared up! You can leave now if ya wish, lad. I won't keep ya."

"Actually, why don't you show me around the ship?" Yodel suggested. "This is my first time being on a boat, after all. And one as grand as yours for my first one, no less."

"Ha! Ya sure wanna flatter me, eh? I actually just bought her last week after finding some treasure. Even bought this fancy coat, too." He tugged on the coat, exposing more of his chest, to which Yodel averted his eyes. "Come on, I'll show ya around."

Yodel followed Fargus through the ship, this time fully willing and interested. The ship seemed a bit smaller now compared to how imposing and gigantic it was from the docks. There were many holds underneath the deck, with crew members stocking every single one with containers of food, water, and any other supplies they would need on a journey across the ocean.

Up in the crow's nest, Fargus showed Yodel the island off in the distance he had seen before. He identified the island as Valor, though most preferred to call it by another name, the Dread Isle.

"Remember, lad. You may want to get to know everyone, but… Sometimes, it's best to leave some people alone. You can tell just by looking at them, they're trouble. Just like that island."

After getting a full tour of the ship, Fargus led Yodel back onto the dock beside the ship. "Thank you so much for showing me your ship, Fargus. You've been very kind to me. I didn't think pirates were like this."

"Heh, well, most of them aren't," the captain answered with a laugh. "We're more like treasure hunters than marauders. But when people look at us, they can't really think of anything else to call us but pirates. Doesn't matter to me, though."

"I'm sure if they got to know you and your crew, then they would give you the respect you deserve. You've certainly earned my respect," he answered sincerely.

"Gwahaha! Still trying to butter me up, eh? I guess you'll be wanting to preach to me now. Well, go ahead, whelp. I think you've earned at least that much."

"No, I don't want to preach to you," Yodel responded. "You clearly have your own beliefs, and don't require the guidance of Saint Elimine."

Fargus gave him a big smile, then planted a hand on his shoulder again. "Now you're getting it, lad. Good luck on the rest of your travels."

"Captain!" a pirate called down from the ship. "We're all ready to set sail, sir!"

"Looks like that's my cue, lad." Fargus quickly climbed up onto the ship, stopping to wave down at Yodel one last time. Yodel waved back up at him with a smile before the captain headed over to the bow of the ship.

"Alright, whelps! We set sail for the Western Isles!" Fargus called out in a gruff voice.

With a resounding "Yes sir!" from the crew, the sails went down, the ship was untied from the dock, and they slowly drifted out into the open waters. Yodel watched them until they disappeared from sight over the horizon, then headed off to find an inn for the night, mind clearer and heart more open.

* * *

Near the end of his journey through Lycia, Yodel reached the small city of Pherae. Like Badon, Pherae was a seaside town. However, the could not have been more different from that of the bustling port. It felt like everybody knew each other—a whole community of friends and neighbors. There weren't as many merchants compared to Badon, with markets in Pherae selling mostly souvenirs to travelers and tourists. The coastline was defined by sprawling, beautiful beaches and the water was crystal clear, with no ships tainting the natural setting.

Yodel admittedly dawdled here due to how much he loved the scenery, and he detailed its beauty in a letter to Holly. He sent letters to his sister every time he reached a new major city, informing her of what he saw and asking how she was doing. In each letter, he would also tell her which city he would be stopping in next, so when he got there, he would receive her response. She told him all about how she's been living happily at the church with Father Luke, who taught her all sorts of lessons from Saint Elimine. Holly had also made a lot of new friends with kids her age who were living in the church, though unlike her, they had no family to speak of. But her favorite part of living there was the garden: out behind the church was a large patch of soil where plants thrived. She had already planted the flower that she had brought from their home, and it was doing a lot better than before now that it wasn't being cooped up inside a tiny, rotting apartment. Every letter Yodel received from Holly was always brimming with happiness about her latest activities, and never failed to bring a smile to his face.

Filling the void left by his sister were all of Yodel's interactions with new people along his journey in every location he visited, helping out weary travelers with his staves while getting to know them some more. He refrained from bluntly trying to convert people to his faith, instead taking a more tactful approach to learn what others believed in first. This did work out a number of times, garnering some new members for his faith, while also making him some new friends.

On his fourth day in Pherae, Yodel happened to walk by the castle, home to Marquess Elias. Within the castle courtyard, the knights of Pherae were doing their normal training routine, but Elias was nowhere to be found despite being the one who would normally lead them, and instead they were led by a loud, purple-haired man in bright white armor. Yodel observed the knights through a fence surrounding the courtyard as they were practicing jousting.. Further down the fence, he spotted a young child watching them practice too, though he appeared to be in a bad mood. Seeing an opportunity, Yodel slowly approached the boy and crouched down to be at eye level with him. "Why are you sad, child?" he asked in a gentle tone.

The boy looked at the priest, brushing some of his own straight purple hair out of his face. He wore a white shirt with orange buttons and cuffs, appearing almost like a noble's child. "My father won't let me train with him and the other knights…"

"Ah. Your father… Is he the one leading the drills?" Yodel asked, turning his head towards the knights just as two jousters collided.

"Yes. He's the greatest knight of Pherae, except for Lord Elias."

"I see… Why do you wish to train with him then?"

"I want to be a knight just like him!" the boy responded fervently. "It's part of my family. Every man in my line has been a great Pheraen knight and protected the Marquess. Lord Elias just had a son recently, too, so I have to get strong so that I can protect him."

The boy's father could be heard barking orders to the rest of the knights in the background while they conversed. "I assume your father bars you from training because you are too young, yes?"

"Yes… But with Lord Elias's son just born, I have to start training right now!"

Yodel studied the boy's reaction, thinking of a suitable way to set his mind at ease. After a few moments, he came up with an idea. "What is your name, child?"

"Marcus, sir."

"Okay, Marcus. My name is Yodel. Would you like me to tell you a story? I think it will help you."

Marcus paused, glancing back over at the knights again before answering. "Um… Okay. What's the story about?"

Yodel sat down on the ground cross-legged in front of Marcus. "Are you familiar with Saint Elimine?"

"Yes, I know of her. She was a hero from The Scouring." Following suit, Marcus knelt down as well.

"Mm, correct. But her exploits do not end at The Scouring. Both before and after the war, she traveled across Elibe, aiding anyone who was in need. One day, she was walking through a forest when a caterpillar approached her."

Marcus cocked his head to one side. "A caterpillar?"

"Yes, a caterpillar," Yodel confirmed. "The caterpillar said to her, 'Saint Elimine, I wish to fly with the birds of the forest, but I have no wings. Will you grant me some?' Elimine thought for a moment, then responded, 'I cannot give you wings. You will have to get them yourself.'"

"But how was the caterpillar supposed to get his own wings?" Marcus interrupted, Yodel hiding his mild annoyance.

"That is exactly what he asked her, Marcus. And she told him, 'You must wrap yourself in a cocoon and stay in it for seven days. When you emerge, you will have your wings.' The caterpillar was happy that the answer was so simple, and immediately encased himself in a silk cocoon. Then he waited in it for seven long days."

"Seven days… That's a long time to be doing nothing!" Marcus exclaimed, almost shuddering at the thought.

"Oh, the caterpillar certainly did not do nothing. At first, he struggled to stay still, anxious to get out and fly. But then he began to occupy himself a different way: thinking. He thought about all the great things he would do with his wings, all the places he would fly to, the new friends he would make among the birds. His dreams kept him content, and before he knew it, the seven days were up. He emerged from the cocoon with two full orange wings and took off into the air."

"…That's it?" Marcus asked.

"Yes, of course it is. What do you think?"

Marcus silently thought about the story to himself for a few moments before speaking up. "I think I understand. Thank you, Sir Yodel."

"You're welcome, Marcus," Yodel said with a smile. "I'm always happy to offer guidance to those who need it."

Just then, Marcus's father approached the two, staring down at the pair through the fence with an exasperated look. "Marcus, were you bothering this man?"

"N-No, father!" The boy immediately stood up straight to face the man. "He was just telling me a story, is all."

"A story, hm?" He glared at Yodel disapprovingly. "You better not be trying to convert my son, you hear me?"

Yodel stood up as well, though the man was still a head taller than he was. "You needn't worry, sir. I simply offered him guidance when he needed it."

"Let me guess, you're encouraging him to become a knight even though he's not even ten years old yet."

"No, it's not like that!" Marcus chimed in. "In fact, because of Sir Yodel, I think I can deal with waiting a few more years before I begin my training."

Upon hearing this, the man fell silent. He had never heard something like that come out of his son, and he stared back at the priest no longer with anger, but with awe. Without taking his eyes off the priest, he spoke to his son. "Marcus, run along now. You should return to the castle."

"Yes, father." Marcus took one last, slightly concerned look at the priest before he scurried away.

"So, Sir Yodel," the man started.

"Yes, sir knight. Might I ask your name?"

"Regis. Now, why did you speak to my son like that?" He spoke in a quiet, angry tone.

Worried but undeterred, Yodel took a deep breath before responding. "I saw your boy standing there, watching the knights practicing, and he looked sad. I couldn't just ignore him, I had to—"

"By filling his head with your ridiculous religion?" Regis cut him off, gripping one of the fence posts tightly. "I swear, you priests are all the same, only caring about gaining more followers for your stupid church. You can call yourself an altruist all you want, that's your goal and I know it."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Sir Regis," Yodel responded, confused and more than a little afraid. "I only wanted to help your son, not convert him…"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Regis barked, now grabbing the fence that separated them with both hands. "My brother would've made a fine knight if he wasn't brainwashed into joining your church! Marcus is going to be a knight, and you can't change that!"

Yodel backed away slowly from the fence, and rather than making things worse with more words, he immediately turned and fled, with Regis shouting indiscernible insults at him. Yodel quickly ran between some buildings before stopping to rest in an alleyway, catching his breath as he slumped against a wall and slide down to the ground, pitying the angry man.

Despite his life being endangered, the threats he received from Regis did get Yodel to finally realize he ought to leave Pherae and get back to his journey. But as he left the seaside city, he remained concerned about Marcus. Hoping that the message of his story would stay with him, Yodel said a prayer for the boy before he departed from Pherae.

* * *

Yodel entered Bern a few days later, and the constant presence of wyverns flying overhead pushed him quickly through the country, rarely stopping for any reason other than to sleep in a village. He planned to head north through Sacae and into Ilia as soon as possible, but the mountains were proving to be a substantial obstacle for him as well as the fear of death from above.

Luckily, he happened upon an injured wyvern rider and his mount, who were knocked out of the air by a wild wyvern and fell onto the mountain path. After healing the pair, the rider introduced himself as Gerhardt. He was a rough-looking man in his 30s, wearing the typical armor of a Bernese soldier and a big red beard covering most of his face. He was a bit ashamed to have gotten hurt like that, but he quickly laughed it off. Noticing how visibly exhausted Yodel was, he offered to give him a lift back to his village and let him stay the night. Yodel agreed, and they took a short flight over the mountains, with him clinging tightly to Gerhardt the whole way, afraid of falling down onto the sharp, rocky cliffs below.

"So, where ya from, Yodel?" Gerhardt asked casually, having to speak up above the sounds of flapping wings and rushing winds.

"Aquelia, in Etruria," he answered just loud enough to be heard. "And, can we—"

"Etruria? Wow, that's a long way away from here!" Gerhardt cut him off. "What brings you to Bern?"

"I-It's a journey on behalf of Saint Elimine. Now, let's—"

"Oooh, so you're one of them religious types, I getcha. Should've known by those robes of yours! And that staff, too. Fixed me right up! We got a church at home, too, so they'll be happy to—"

"Gerhardt!" Yodel shouted, cutting him off this time. "I appreciate you being so talkative, but can we please wait until we're at your village to continue this conversation? I don't feel very comfortable talking all the way up in the sky like this."

The rider stared forward silently for a few moments before responding, "Yes. Sorry."

They finished their trip in uncomfortable silence, with the only sounds being the wyvern's wings and the winds rushing past them. Once they landed, Yodel gave a quick apology for snapping like that, but Gerhardt brushed it off.

"Don't worry about it. I don't exactly get to talk to people a whole lot in the army is all. Probably shouldn't have used you as an outlet like that, though."

"No, it's alright. You had your reasons. I can't imagine not having conversations of any kind so infrequently."

"Yeah, that's part of why I come back to my village here a lot, just to talk with people. It's close enough to the castle where I can take a short break here with my family before heading back."

Gerhardt proceeded to show Yodel around his hometown of Vaud. It was a modest village nestled into the mountains, which rose so high as to block out the sun during most of the day. Houses were scattered in this miniature valley, with most of the space being taken up by farmlands. The most prominent building was a large stone church built partially into the mountainside, surrounded on the outside by flower gardens. Although Gerhardt offered to introduce Yodel to his family, he declined, drawn to the church instead.

Walking inside, the church was in modest condition. The walls were stone, but there was a clear divide where the manmade part ended and the mountain stone began, as if you were walking through a grey portal when you approached the back wall. Standing at the altar was a nun, who appeared to be in her fifties, and she greeted Yodel with a smile.

"Greetings, friend. My name is Claudia. You are a follower of Saint Elimine as well, are you not?"

Yodel gave her a nod. "Yes. My name is Yodel, and I come from Aquelia on a holy journey. I have already passed through Lycia and I plan to go through Sacae and Ilia next, so I cannot stay for very long."

"Oh, but you've traveled so far. Will you at least stay here for the night?" she insisted.

"Of course. These mountains have been taking their toll on me. But I will have to leave in the morning."

"Very well then. Allow me to show you around our church."

Heading into the other rooms, Claudia introduced Yodel to the young ones who were staying there to become clerics as well. Curiously, there were no boys to be seen, only girls. Once they got outside and were looking at the flower gardens, Yodel finally asked her where all the boys were.

"Boys don't become priests here," she answered flatly, gesturing up to some wyverns flying above. "Boys join the army, girls become clerics. The rest become farmers. That's just how it is here."

"Do they have any choice in the matter?"

"Well, there have occasionally been male priests and female soldiers, but they are few and far between. For everyone else, they either do as they're supposed to, or they don't have a life here. We're so secluded that these are the only real ways to get out. Those that can't simply till the land."

Yodel was silent as she explained their way of life. His thoughts turned to his own decision to join the church—though he was no longer sure if it was his decision at all. The soldiers and clerics all had their reasons just like him, he told himself, even if they were all acting in self-preservation rather than out of pure interest and passion.

"I… see," Yodel responded after a few moments.

Claudia noticed the discontent in him after hearing that. "Would you like something to eat? Perhaps you can have supper and get to bed early. You ought to be well rested if you're traveling through the mountains."

"…Yes. That would be nice."

Yodel ate with Claudia and the rest of the kids at the church, then hurried to bed so as not to look at the children for much longer. The sun was hidden behind the mountains at this point, the entire village mostly dark despite being relatively early. Yodel tried to lie on his cot in the grey, stone room and close his eyes, but he did not drift off to sleep until several hours later.

He awakened to the same level of light as when he had entered the room, the mountains still shielding the village from the sun's rays, but despite the darkness, Yodel forced himself up from the bed. After a quick breakfast with Claudia and the children, he planned to ask Gerhardt for a ride out of the mountains, but he was nowhere to be found, presumably back with the army. However, his father Charles, a retired soldier, was still in Vaud, and he offered to take him to where he needed to go. Gerhardt's family was all so amiable, and Yodel regretted his decision to visit the church rather than meet them, but he elected to leave the town and church immediately rather than stay and get to know them. Before leaving, he asked Claudia for one of the flowers from their garden so that he could send it to Holly with his next letter, and he received a potted white daisy.

Holding it close to his chest, Yodel boarded Charles' wyvern and they set off, flying straight up and out of the valley. The sun gradually became visible as they cleared the mountains, and once they reached a high enough altitude, they went into a slow, smooth glide.

"So, where should I drop ya?" Charles asked. "I can go as far as the Sacaen border."

"The border it is," Yodel answered, not really wanting to stay in Bern for much longer. Between the depressing village, the rough mountains, and the constant presence of wild wyverns, he wanted to get as far away as he could today.

With a simple nod, Charles gave his wyvern a slight kick and they sped up, on their way to the border.

* * *

Yodel passed through the eastern end of Sacae, stopping briefly in Bulgar to restock on supplies. He considered heading west through the whole country, but after hearing rumors around the city of disputes between the Lorca and the Djute clans, he opted to head north to Ilia instead. He'd rather take his chances with the bitter cold than with potentially warring nomads.

Bulgar was an unfortunately familiar sight for Yodel—not because he had been there before, but because the conditions he saw people facing were all too similar to his own state of living not too long ago in Aquelia. Past the large markets and bustling squares and rich merchants of this economic hub of Elibe lay a vast, sad underbelly of poverty that nobody wanted to acknowledge. Were all cities like this, he asked himself, or was he simply unlucky? He hadn't noticed such rampant poverty in Ostia. Perhaps it was just better hidden there? Or did the mere presence of the wealthy in Aquelia and Bulgar cause this somehow?

He hoped to clear his head of these thoughts by helping some of the destitute people he came across, healing those that were injured in the back alleys and offering some of his food to the hungry, but it did little to ease his feelings on the matter. Yodel's thoughts also turned to what he had seen in Vaud, and he began to question what his reasons for this journey even were. Did he only do this to escape the poverty in Aquelia? That was part of why he joined the church in the first place, after all, since they were offering free food when he had none. At first, he simply wanted to rise through the ranks of the church, hoping that the higher he got, the comfier life would get. But now, not only did he wonder why he set out on this journey, but how he should feel about his reasons. He did genuinely like his religion, the church, and the life it gave him. Plenty of the clerics and soldiers from Vaud probably enjoyed their occupations as well. And he knew for certain that Holly was happy, what with all her letters brimming with positivity. But Yodel wasn't sure if he should be okay with a life that wasn't totally decided by himself.

He departed from Bulgar after a week, traveling north into Ilia, with his destination being the capital of Edessa. A tall mountain range stood in his path, though he elected to travel around them this time rather than through them. On his way to Edessa, Yodel watched as nature died before his own eyes: flowers wilted, trees lost their leaves, the grass turned a sickly brown, and everything became blanketed in a thin coat of dry snow. He did not encounter wayward travelers or see farmers out tilling the land, only ever spotting the occasional rabbit as it darted across the road before disappearing into the white fields.

Yodel was already well aware of Ilia's plight of winter. The Ilian Mercenary Knights were famous even to someone like him, being the country's primary export. He heard some gossip about them while he was in Pherae, with their strength supposedly rivaling the Pheraen Knights. Yet he couldn't help but feel sorry for all the mercenaries, their job being entirely dependent on war and killing, with many of them dying in the process. There were no other jobs for them to take either, and they had to make money in order to import food, so many of them were forced into their occupation by their living conditions, just like he was. He began to dread entering the city, fearing that it would only remind him even more of his own situation.

When he finally reached Edessa, the sights of the city were much different from what he was expecting. It was oddly quiet, but there were still plenty of people out and about. After walking around and observing people for a few hours, Yodel noticed a few important distinctions about this city: there were very few, if any, rich people and places. Almost everyone he saw was around the same low level of class and wealth. Yet he never encountered a single person facing the same poverty as in Aquelia or Bulgar. These people were not well off by any means, yet they were not entirely impoverished either. But the biggest detail he noticed was that everyone seemed closer, as if their generally poor conditions had brought them all together. There were fewer arguments than in the markets of Bulgar, fewer crimes than in the alleys of Aquelia, and more people smiling, laughing, sharing a drink or what meager food they had, persevering through the cold and their industry of death simply by enjoying their company. These people were making the best of a bad situation, but you wouldn't even guess how bad their conditions were from just looking at them.

Yodel's thoughts inevitably turned to himself once more. These people were all so happy just to have each other. Yodel only ever had Holly, and yet he gave her up to go on this journey. Meeting new people on his travels and helping them was nice, and his sister's letters offered a brief respite from his solitude, but ultimately he could not stave off his feelings of loneliness. And now he was in a country, a city, far from his home and from his family, surrounded by strangers and their friends, completely alone.

He had to go somewhere that he wouldn't be exposed to all this joy and togetherness. Yodel hurried out of the city, slumping down against the city walls, and began to sob. He couldn't bear to stay in there a moment longer, as it only reminded him of what he lacked. He wanted to be back in Aquelia. He wanted to be with Holly. He wanted to be with someone. Anyone. He didn't care what conditions he'd have to deal with, or even what kind of person they were, he just wanted to feel the warmth and love of another person.

Yodel cursed his journey, his priesthood, and the church. All that the church gave him were material necessities. He could help others as much as he wanted on his journey, but with nobody to reciprocate, the result was an empty feeling of doing his job rather than truly doing good.

After crying outside the city for a while, Yodel eventually dried his eyes and considered his options. He was done with the church, and continuing his journey was entirely out of the question. Being all the way in Edessa, walking back to Aquelia for Holly would take quite some time. On the other hand, the people here seemed amiable enough. Surely they would welcome him and allow him to stay, at least until he had found a quicker way to return home.

Yodel finally reentered the city, and made it his goal to make at least one new friend in Edessa. He soon encountered a young girl who was crying underneath a barren tree, having dropped her doll down a nearby sewer hole. Steeling himself and his nose, Yodel hopped down into the hole and retrieved her doll, much to her delight. She asked if he would come to her house, and upon doing do, he met the girl's parents, who invited him in for dinner, even allowing Yodel to spend the night after he explained he had no place to stay. As he lay on their couch in the dead of night, Yodel was amazed by how quickly he had managed to make not one but three new friends in one day, and he happily drifted off to sleep.

The following weeks came in a similar fashion for Yodel: he would travel the city, find someone in need, help them out, and then become their friend. In truth, it was no different from what he had been doing while traveling, except now it was by his own decision. He remained in the city with the new friends he had made, and every day he would receive a friendly wave or have a little conversation with someone he had helped days or even weeks prior.

He still corresponded with Holly, and he did feel guilty about leaving her all alone as well. But she was still happy from the sounds of things, surrounded by her own friends in the church. Bishop Luke had been trying to teach her how to use staves so that she could become a cleric, but she was much more interested in light magic. It appeared she had a natural talent for it, as she had managed to figure out how to harness the energy from a light tome in order to make her flowers grow faster and healthier.

One day in Edessa, a new traveler entered the city. They were wearing dark blue robes, with a hood that obscured their face. One delicate hand was visible to hold a wooden staff, and long strands of green hair came out from beneath the hood. Yodel decided he would be the first one to greet this new person.

"Hello there, friend. Welcome to Edessa," he greeted them with a smile.

The traveler was silent, but Yodel could feel their gaze looking him over, judging him as he did his best to retain his cheerful demeanor.

"Er… Do you need something? Perhaps directions, or a place to stay, or—"

"Where is the nearest magic shop?" the traveler cut him off, their voice distinctly female and impatient.

"Ah, a magic shop? I can show you, just follow me," Yodel offered as he started to head off, but the traveler grabbed the back of his shirt and stopped him.

"Just give me directions," she demanded, tapping her staff on the ground.

Yodel was caught off guard by this, nearly falling over backwards from the yank. "V-Very well… Head down the main street, take the third left, and it will be on your right."

Without another word, the figure walked past him, turning down the street he directed them to, and disappearing from sight. Yodel stared at the way she had gone silently, saddened by the traveler's insistence on being alone. He followed them at a distance, watching as she entered the magic store and exited almost a half hour later with several full, bulging bags. Yodel continued to trail her as she exited the city, heading up into the nearby mountains.

The traveler finally stopped at a small clearing, where she emptied the bags of their contents and organized them on the ground. Five tomes formed a small circle, surrounded by a larger circle of candles, and in the center stood the traveler with her staff. Tapping the staff on the ground, the candles all suddenly lit up with light blue flames, and the tomes all flipped open, purple energy seeping out of them. The energy mixed with the flames and the snow on the ground, creating a strange multicolored fog that hung near the traveler's feet. With another tap of their staff, the mist rose above her head, swirling until it formed a bright indigo sphere floating in the air.

However, the sphere was unstable, as the color and shape began to fluctuate wildly. The traveler frantically tried to control it, surrounding it with some of her magic, but the barrier she had made broke easily as the sphere was on the verge of exploding. Yodel finally made his presence known as he jumped out with his own staff, creating a barrier to protect both himself and the traveler. Before the traveler could protest, the sphere burst with a loud bang, flooding the entire area with a bright blue light for a split second and cracking the barrier. Once everything had settled and the two of them could open their eyes again, Yodel dispelled the barrier and look around: the clearing was completely frozen over in a strange blue ice, centered on where the sphere had exploded. The tomes and candles were frozen solid—Yodel tapped a book with his staff and it shattered immediately. But before he got too caught up in looking at the results of the failed spell, Yodel turned back to the traveler.

Her hood was down, revealing a female face with an oddly soft complexion. Her deep green hair hung below her shoulders, and her bangs nearly covered her blue eyes. Yodel didn't have any words upon seeing her face, so she spoke first, enraged.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?! I was trying to work on a new spell!"

It took Yodel a few seconds to actually form a response in his head and speak it. "I was curious about what you were doing, so I followed you. That was rude of me, but you probably would've said no if I asked to come along."

"Yes, I would have! You have no business following me around. I bet you just wanted to steal my spell, didn't you?"

"No, certainly not! I swear, I was just curious, that's all."

The woman crossed her arms at the man. "Really now. That's your only reason?"

"…Well, no," he admitted with a sigh. "I… I just didn't like seeing you be such a loner. Solitude is not something I would wish upon anyone."

"That's a ridiculous excuse," she told him. "Just admit that you wanted to steal my spell!"

"I don't even know what spell you were trying to use," Yodel explained, trying to remain calm.

"Hmph. I doubt that. But I can't prove whether you're telling the truth or not…"

There was a brief silence between the two of them, Yodel unsure of what to say while the woman wasn't willing to speak further. Their eyes darted around the icy aftermath of the explosion, occasionally stealing glances at each other before looking away again. Eventually Yodel decided to break the silence.

"Might I… at least ask your name?" he began, turning towards her.

"You first," she immediately fired back.

"I am Yodel, a former priest from Aquelia."

"Former? You look like a current priest to me," she remarked.

"I quit rather recently," Yodel explained, grinning. "Though I won't ever forget the magic I learned."

"You're not half bad with a staff. You were able to block that explosion."

"Thank you. The Elimine Church mainly teaches healing and defensive magics, so most priests are capable of such things."

"I wouldn't say that. I've met priests before, and they didn't seem as strong as you. I couldn't even contain the spell once it became unstable."

"You flatter me," he deflected the compliment.

"I'm serious. That spell was the strongest one I know, and you blocked it with ease."

"What was that spell, exactly?"

"…You really aren't going to steal it?"

He gave her a bow. "I promise, Miss…?"

"Niime."

"I promise, Miss Niime."

"Don't call me Miss," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "I'm barely twenty."

"My apologies, Niime."

"Thanks. Anyway, I've been trying to figure out a way to control the weather around here. Snowstorms are so frequent, it would be great if I could harness them somehow. Maybe I could create them whenever I wanted, or conjure them up in a warmer climate."

"Controlling the weather is no easy feat. Why do you want to go through all this trouble for that spell?"

"I have my reasons," she answered. "Just as you had your reasons for quitting the clergy, no doubt."

"I suppose I can't argue with that." Another period of silence passed between them before Yodel spoke again. "…So, what will you do now? All of these books are frozen."

"I'll have to buy some more and try again."

"In that case, may I help you with it?"

"No," she answered immediately.

"But what if the spell blows up again? You said yourself that you couldn't contain it, but I could. I wouldn't want to see you be turned to ice."

"…Fine. We'll try again tomorrow. I'll find you in Edessa and bring you back here."

"Okay," he nodded. "…Um… Where do you live? Not in Edessa, I assume."

"I am not telling you that."

"Very well. Then… I will see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Goodbye Yodel."

"Goodbye Niime."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before turning and heading in opposite directions. Niime went further into the mountains while Yodel returned to Edessa. Unsure of how to feel about this woman, Yodel thought about her well into the night before eventually falling asleep.

The next day, Niime reappeared as she said, finding Yodel in front of the magic store this time. She still kept her hood up while inside the city, but after they bought the books they needed and left Edessa, she pulled her hood back and they headed out to the same area in the mountains. The frozen books and candles were still there, a thin layer of snow covering them all. Niime and Yodel simply kicked and shattered them, replacing them with the new items they had bought. Niime stood in the center once more, this time with Yodel standing right in front of her, both with staves in hand.

"So when the spell is formed, just surround it with that barrier you used yesterday," she told him, with Yodel simply nodding in response.

With a tap of her staff on the ground, the same procedure happened as before, and the icy orb was created and hung in the air above them. Yodel quickly brought up his own staff and surrounded it with a thin barrier, and just like yesterday, the orb began to lose its shape. The barrier helped it to maintain its form, and Yodel did his best to keep it steady, but he was clearly struggling. Noticing this, Niime dropped her own staff and grabbed onto Yodel's, her additional focus and power allowing them to stabilize the spell completely. The barrier fused with the spell itself, and it was complete.

The whole process had Yodel sweating with how intense it was, but Niime's assistance did help to alleviate the difficulty somewhat. She took the sphere into her hand and held it between them, admiring the blue crystal ball-like spell they had created.

"Marvelous… A miniature snow storm in the palm of my hands," she cackled, unnerving Yodel a tad. "Thanks for your help, Yodel. Perhaps I'll call upon you next time I try to produce a new spell."

"I'd be happy to oblige, Niime. I'll just be in Edessa whenever you want to find me." He hesitated a bit before asking his next question. "Where exactly do you live, if I may ask again? Up here in the mountains?"

"...Yes. People leave me alone up here, and I can work on my spells as much as I like. The people in the city don't take very kindly to my dark magic, after all. Calling me some kind of witch, those fools. But I let them think me a hermit or whatever they like, I don't care. I only ever go into Edessa to get supplies every once in a while anyway, and so long as I wear my hood, they don't bother me."

Yodel frowned at her explanation. "Don't you ever get lonely out here though?"

"Hah! As if anyone would want to talk with me," Niime scoffed at his question. "They all run as soon as they see I'm a dark mage. I neither want nor need that kind of company."

"…But I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?"

She gave him a bit of an incredulous look, opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. "Well, you're just different is all. And weird. Maybe a bit too stupid for your own good. But you don't care about my magic, so you can stick around."

Yodel smiled, having received her permission to be with her more. "Good. I'll… see you next time you want to make a spell then."

"Mm. Goodbye, Yodel." She walked off further into the mountains toward her house. Yodel watched as she disappeared from view, standing there for a few moments before returning to Edessa.

They continued to correspond like this once per week, and quickly decided that they would always do it on Saturday. Initially Yodel would wait outside the magic store for Niime to arrive, they would buy the necessary supplies for the spell of the week, then retreat into the mountains. But gradually they started planning their spells further in advance, and Yodel would end up buying the supplies and bringing them into the mountains with him to meet Niime. They created a large variety of spells, such as an earth magic tome, a staff that could look through walls, and a spell that severely slowed a target. Sometimes Niime would suggest what they do next, other times it would be Yodel. The more they met, the longer they would spend together, both working on the spell and just chatting with one another. Eventually Yodel would start heading into the mountains on Saturday mornings, staying with Niime for the weekend and returning to Edessa on Monday. Some of his friends in the city were worried about how frequently he was with this sorcerous hermit, but he always told them how happy he was to spend time with her and that they shouldn't be so quick to judge.

Niime did share Yodel's feelings more and more as they kept meeting. At first she just saw him as a magical partner to help out with spells, but in all the downtime they had while creating new spells, they got to talking, and Yodel's eagerness was infectious as Niime began opening up about herself more.

"My parents are anima scholars of all things," she said with disdain. "I had no interest in that boring stuff, but when I started looking into dark magic—far more interesting, of course—they burned all my books. I ran away in hopes of finding other shamans to practice with, but no matter where I went, people hated me for my magic, so I had to conceal it."

"It's a good thing you didn't try going to a church. If my old bishop is anything to go by, you would've been burned at the stake."

"Avoided those blasted places like the plague."

"Now that's good advice," Yodel said as they shared a laugh. "But with no church to turn to and no family to support you, how'd you manage all by yourself?"

"I attracted a lot of men in my travels, and they were all willing to do anything to take me to their beds. So I'd have them empty their wallets for me and dump them."

"With a face like yours, I'm not surprised men flocked to you like that."

"...Aren't you worried I'd do the same to you?" she asked hesitantly.

"When you walked into Edessa you clearly weren't trying to attract anyone. And you tried to repel me when I followed you. Besides, you've spent some of your own money on spell supplies, so that should be evidence enough."

Niime let out a sigh. "You really are different from everyone else… When any of the men I dated found out I was into dark magic, they'd leave me right away. Recently I've just stopped trying to live by temporary boyfriends altogether and started living up here in the mountains, alone. It's never exactly been an easy life for a witch like me…"

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," Yodel attempted to offer his consolation. "If it makes you feel any better, you probably had it better than I did. I lived in complete poverty with my sister and was basically forced into the church, so I never had the choice to follow my heart like you did."

"You at least have your sister, though. Someone who would always love you and wouldn't judge you for anything. I never had anyone like that…"

Yodel paused for a moment before scooting closer to Niime. "You have me, don't you?"

She looked at him, taking a bit to process the kind words he just said, before smiling and wrapping her arm around him. "You're right."

* * *

It had been nearly two years since Yodel had left. Holly still remained at the church back in Aquelia, living with Bishop Luke and corresponding with her brother through letters. She reveled in every detail he wrote to her, from meeting a pirate crew to riding a wyvern for the first time. More recently, however, Yodel wrote that he was giving up his journey and would stay in Ilia for a while. Afraid of how Bishop Luke would react to this news, Holly simply lied about where he was, saying he was currently in the Western Isles. Despite this, Holly still remained cheerful as always on the outside, enjoying her life in the church. Bishop Luke often remarked just how much her positive attitude had brightened the place up, as the other orphans who lived with him loved the mere presence of her.

Holly continued to tend to her garden outside the church, which had grown substantially since she first went to live there. It started with her potted plant from her old house, along with some wilted flowers that had already been there, but over time, other people began to plant their own flora in the small patch of soil. With Holly's care, they all blossomed into a veritable rainbow of life, in stark contrast to the stone-grey church building whose shadow they stood in.

This shadow did cause some problems, as it deprived the flowers of much sunlight, but when Bishop Luke heard of this issue, he went outside to the garden with a tome. Cracking open the book and blowing some dust off the pages, he quietly mumbled a chant, and a small orb of light materialized in his hand, like a miniature sun. Flicking his wrist, the ball spread out among the entire garden, coating it in a mist of yellow sunlight.

Holly, having only ever seen her brother's staves before, had no idea a book could hold such power, and she immediately begged Bishop Luke to teach her how to use them. He was reluctant at first, since he didn't want to see such a happy girl using a weapon, and instead pushed her to use staves like her brother. But she persisted, and when Bishop Luke finally relented, he taught her the basics and gave her a simple light tome to practice with. From then on, Holly took that book with her everywhere. Every day she would start out by giving the flowers the light they needed, and then she would sit down near the garden and practice. Initially she was somewhat sloppy and ended up burning her hands more than a few times, but gradually she got the hang of it. Her friends from the church often came by to watch her, and as she got better at manipulating the tome, she was able to put on little light shows for the kids, much to their delight.

Yodel's letters became less and less frequent as of recent, much to Holly's concern, but she continued to mask her emotions under her smile. It was only in private that Holly would let her feelings flow with her tears. Bishop Luke and her friends could only provide so much comfort, especially when she was usually the one comforting them instead, since she was the oldest kid there. And with the last letter she received having been months ago, she wondered if she would ever see Yodel again at all.

One morning, Holly went out for her usual routine of caring for her flowers. However, before she could cast her spell, a strange new light appeared outside of the church, the air appearing to warp around it. The light pulsated, swapping between multiple colors, but eventually it condensed into a small dot before disappearing completely. What remained from the light were two figures that quickly fell to the ground, having spawned a few feet in the air. They groaned as they got up, revealing themselves to be Yodel and a green-haired woman.

"Ugh… That Rewarp spell is going to need some fine-tuning…" Yodel says to the woman.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" she said with a smirk.

"Brother!" Holly dropped her tome and ran up to her brother, giving him a large hug. Tears of joy began to stream down her face as Yodel reciprocated the embrace. "You're back! Oh, you're back, you're back!"

"Holly… I'm so sorry I kept you waiting," he apologized. "So much has happened for me, but I can't imagine how you've been feeling here all by yourself."

"Who cares?! You're back now! I've missed you so much and now you're back! Please don't go away again, please, please!"

Yodel exchanged a smile with the woman, who crouched down to meet Holly at eye level. She placed a hand on her back and spoke in warm, soft tone. "Don't worry. Your brother won't be leaving again. See, we actually came here to pick you up. You can come live with your brother and I. Would you like that?" Not questioning who the woman was, Holly simply nodded as she wiped away some tears.

Bishop Luke exited the church, with a few children trailing behind to see what the commotion was about. Seeing Yodel and this strange woman, he did not have any visible reaction to their presence. "Yodel. I see you have returned. Who is that with you?"

"Hello, Bishop Luke," he returned the greeting in a less-than-enthused tone. "This is Niime. I met her in Ilia."

Niime gave a quick nod to the man as she stood up. Her garb was obviously that of a dark mage, but with the children around, Bishop Luke did not want to make a scene. "For what purpose did you come back here? I thought you were on your journey to become a bishop."

"I've decided to give that up and quit the church. I only came her for my sister—she's been rather lonely, according to her letters."

"Is that so?" Bishop Luke looked down at Holly, who buried her face in Yodel's robes. "Well, it certainly wasn't apparent from my perspective… Does this strange woman have something to do with you leaving the church?"

"I'm right here," Niime said, crossing her arms.

"I quit because my journey was lonely. With Niime, I am no longer lonely. I think the choice is simple enough, wouldn't you say?" The two of them held hands in plain view for the bishop and the children.

"How could you be so selfish?" Bishop Luke chastised him, his neutral expression breaking slightly. "You love helping others! And you would just give that up for one sorceress?"

"I still help others," Yodel answered firmly. "I will never stop doing that. But I want to be with Niime, and she wants to be with me. Is it so selfish to love another?"

"Besides, being selfish is part of being human anyway," Niime added. "I'd rather just embrace some of that selfishness instead of trying to suppress it."

Bishop Luke narrowed his eyes at the two of them, clenching his fists at his sides. "You… You ungrateful wretch! You would just throw away the love that the church gave you?! And now you want to take Holly as well?! I doubt she even wants to go with you!"

Holly glanced back at Bishop Luke, seeing the raw anger in his eyes. The children behind him were scared, backing away into the church. She locked eyes with one of them, the oldest boy. He just gave a nod to her, as if granting her permission to leave. Those children all grew up together, so they were just like a family. They would be fine without her.

"…I want to be with my brother," Holly told the bishop, grasping Yodel's hand as she did so.

Bishop Luke simply gazed in disbelief at the three of them as everything seemed to unravel for him. Gritting his teeth, he saw only one option remaining, and he took out his own tome, quickly shooting a bolt of light at Niime. The woman effortlessly blocks it with her staff, letting out a sigh.

"You preach love and acceptance, but can't even follow your own words… You priests are all the same. Except you, sweetie," she added, giving Yodel a quick wink.

"Gah! Die!" Bishop Luke shot several more bolts out of frustration, causing Holly to hide behind her brother. Niime effortlessly blocked them all and fired back with a quick dark blast, knocking the tome right out of the bishop's hand.

"We don't want to hurt you," Yodel told him calmly. "Just go back inside, and leave us in peace."

He rushed to pick up his book, but it was hit away again, this time by Holly with her weak light tome. "Please stop, Bishop Luke… We don't need you. The kids need you."

The priest simply stood there motionless, unsure what to even do at this point. "But… I…"

Niime looked over at Yodel, gripping her staff a little bit tighter. "I think I'm ready for another Rewarp, though it'll be harder with a third person."

"We can just go somewhere closer then," he answered, placing his hand over hers on the staff. "It'll take a couple of warps to get home, but we can manage."

"Alright, honey." She glanced down at Holly, who looked up at her cautiously. "Please grab my staff, Holly. I'll warp us out of here."

Holly hesitated slightly, giving one last look back at the pitiable bishop before nodding and grabbing the staff.

Yodel briefly glanced over at his old teacher before turning to face Niime. "Let's go home." The pair kissed, and a light emerged from the tip of the staff. This light engulfed the three of them, and in a quick flash, they disappeared.

* * *

The trio lived happily in Ilia for a few months. Yodel and Niime took care of Holly up in the mountains outside of Edessa, where she gradually warmed up to her new sister in law. However, it was clear to them that the girl was lonely living out here, so they decided to move just a couple of warps away to the Etrurian countryside instead. They settled down in a small village near the border of Etruria and the Nabatan Peninsula, where Holly found many new friends to play with. She still continued her usual activities of planting flowers and practicing light magic, but now she had others her age with which she could share her enjoyment. There was one boy in particular named Levi who was adept at anima magic, and they often shared tomes to see what the different magic types were like. In addition, Niime decided to teach Holly—and Levi after she pestered her to help her friend—how to use their magic for combat. Yodel also helped out to ensure that they would be learning magic purely for self-defense.

While Holly enjoyed her carefree life with her friends, Yodel and Niime were just as happy to be away from it all. Over the next decade, they had four children: Vincent, Edmund, Solomon, and Canas. Niime tried to teach each of them dark magic as well, but Yodel was firm in refusing to teach them anything until they were old enough to make the decision for themselves. Instead, he urged Niime to work with him on developing some more staves that would be able to help people in the village as well as themselves, which Niime eventually agreed to do. Though when Yodel wasn't looking or was out somewhere else, she would show her children some small hexes. Being naught but infants, they barely understood what she was even doing, and stared at her blankly, except for Canas, who seemed to become happier at the sight of the black magic. Yodel did become aware of what she was doing behind her back thanks to Holly, but he never confronted her about it.

Holly and Levi ended up dating each other as the years went by, and when she was twenty, the pair were finally engaged, as Holly had proposed with a bouquet of flowers she had grown herself. They went to all the surrounding villages to tell everyone they knew of their engagement and when they would hold their wedding. Yodel was left with the brunt of the planning work, but he was happy to organize it all for her. While the married couple-to-be were out spreading the good news one night, Yodel and Niime remained in the village to begin planning.

Yodel sat at a desk with a list of the attendees. "So far they've invited thirty people, not including ourselves, and now they're out inviting more… They really want this to be a grand event."

"A far cry from the wedding we never had," Niime said with a small laugh, little Canas in her lap.

A small smile crept onto Yodel's face. "Yes. We have no need for such grandeur. Though Holly and Levi certainly do."

"A shame that such magical talent was wasted on anima magic," she scoffed. "That boy could've been an incredible master of the dark arts."

"Then he'll just have to be a master of anima instead."

"Hmph. Yet another anima scholar…"

The pair sat in silence for a bit as Yodel looked over the other papers Holly and Levi had given him. "Maybe we could hold this at the castle in the mountains? I'm sure the lord there would be willing to accommodate."

"That sounds expensive. How would we afford to hold a wedding at a castle?"

"We could sell some of the spells we made, offer them up to the guards there. I'm sure they have mages in their ranks that would—"

"Never," Niime cut him off with a scowl. "We are not selling our work."

He let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Very well… The castle is something we should at least try, even if it ends up being too costly. Who knows? Maybe the lord there is generous."

"A generous noble? Now there's an oxymoron," she remarked. Canas let out a small whine in her lap.

"True…" Yodel looked out the window. It had gotten dark now, yet Holly and Levi had not yet returned. He needed them to finalize the list of attendees soon, or else his work would never end.

"I suppose we can discuss it with them once they return," he said, getting up from his seat. "But right now, I believe it's suppertime."

"Yes, someone's hungry, aren't you Canas?" Niime cooed to the toddler, who giggled as she rubbed her nose against his. She stuck her head out the window to call in her other children who had been out playing all day, and they all went into the kitchen while Yodel finished up dinner—a large roast turkey he had been preparing all day, in celebration of Holly's engagement. He really didn't want to eat it until they got home, but they had already been gone so long and nobody could wait any longer.

The whole family had just sat down for their meal when they heard a loud scream outside. Rushing to the window, Yodel saw a large group of bandits flooding into the village, clamoring for whatever loot they could steal and women they could snatch. He quickly grabbed a tome and a staff before dashing out the door, not saying a word to Niime or the kids. The sorceress watched in disbelief as he left, but followed suit as she grabbed a few tomes of her own.

"Just stay here, children," she attempted to console the four young boys. "Mommy and daddy will be back soon." They all began to cry as she exited the door and cast a barrier around their house before hurrying to find Yodel.

Yodel frantically searched the village for Holly and Levi, calling out their names in the hope that they had not been attacked yet. By now a few houses were on fire, thick grey smoke obscuring the starry night sky, and the crackling of flames mixing with the screams of the villagers. Yet beyond the sounds of chaos, Yodel could faintly hear magic being cast, no doubt from Holly and Levi, and he rushed to the source of the sound. However, one more noise caught his ears, a low groan and a struggling cry for help from one of the bandits as he lay bleeding against a wall. Against his better judgment, Yodel stopped and approached this man, kneeling down next to him.

"Why are you attacking us?" he asked the brigand in a strangely calm tone.

"We… Me and the boys live in the mountains…" he started. "We ain't got no money… Can't find jobs 'cause we ain't got any skills 'sides killin' things… Gah!" He clutched at his chest, pain from his wound surging through his body. Yodel quickly took out his staff and began to heal him, the brigand's eyes widening.

"That wound… It was from a magical attack, wasn't it?" Yodel asked once he'd finished.

"Er… Yeah. Some wench hit me with this weird light… But forget about that, why the hell'd you heal me? I'm attacking yer village!"

"You have your reasons. I wouldn't want to kill someone because they acted out of necessity. Maybe if we can get this attack called off, we can resolve this some other way…"

"Yer crazy!" the bandit scoffed. "Nobody else'd forgive us fer what we've done today!"

"I'm a relatively popular man in this village. I'm confident my words would hold some power around here. I could get you all jobs, and you'd never have to pillage again."

The bandit opened his mouth to argue some more, but hesitated as he considered this idea. "...Okay. But don't think it'll be easy to shut down this raid now that it's already going."

"It will be difficult, but we can do it, I'm certain," Yodel assured him. Just then, he heard more blasts of magic just a few houses down, and ran in that direction with the brigand following him.

Once they arrived on the scene, they found Holly and Levi shooting down some more bandits.

"Yodel! Move!" Niime's voice called out from behind as she prepared to fire a spell at the bandit with him. However, Yodel quickly stepped in front of the brigand, arms outstretched.

"Niime, stop! We mustn't kill any more of them. I have a way to resolve this, we just need to—"

"Are you serious?! They're bandits! Just kill the lot of them!" Without any hesitation, she dashed around Yodel and shot a hex at the brigand, his whole body tensing up as he fell to the ground, dead in an instant. Yodel stared at the body in horror, but couldn't dwell on it for long as he saw Holly and Levi, whose silhouettes he could just barely make out through the smoke, still fighting the brigands.

"Holly! Levi! Wait!" Yodel shouted to them as they prepared their spells. Just now hearing her brother's voice, Holly stopped and turned her head towards his direction.

"Yodel? Where are you?" she called out, both her and Levi unaware of a brigand sneaking up behind them. He raised an axe in each hand, cleaving through the pair of mages and chopping their bodies in half. As they fell to the ground, Yodel could faintly hear as Holly uttered his name before her breathing stopped completely, their bodies resting on one of her now blackened gardens.

Yodel fell to his knees, unable to bear the sight of what he had just witnessed. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could only stare at the corpses of his sister and her lover.

Niime immediately stood in front of him, a sharp scowl on her face. "Yodel! Come, we have to kill the rest of them, now!"

Yodel didn't respond. He was going to give them all new lives. Things were going to work out with no more violence.

"Yodel! Are you listening?!" She knelt down to be at eye level with him.

"Niime…" They only did this out of necessity. They had their reasons for this attack, and they weren't greed or hate, just pure necessity.

"They killed your sister!" Niime grabbed his shoulders. "She cried out your name as she died, and you refuse to do a thing?!"

"I…" He wanted to forgive them. Nobody should have to kill others just to live. He wanted them to get away from that life.

"How could you be hung up about this?! Forgiving them won't accomplish anything! If we let them live, nothing will change. They'll keep pillaging and more innocent people will die by their hands! Is that what you want, Yodel?! Answer me!"

"Niime, I…" He closed his eyes, in an unsuccessful attempt to halt his tears. Her words melded with the sounds of the raid and the crackling of the flames, all morphing into pure chaos. He covered his ears, muffling the noise but not truly blocking it out.

As he tried to cut off all his senses from the surrounding madness, Yodel became engulfed in a void of his own design. Years seemed to pass, events going by in mere moments: The village was turned to rubble. Niime left with the kids. Yodel was alone. He tried turning to Fargus. He was at sea. He went back to Vaud. Gerhardt had died in the line of duty. He returned to Edessa. No one recognized him. His only option was the church. He went back to Aquelia. Bishop Luke had passed away. And then…

* * *

"Yodel?"

"…Niime?" Yodel opened his eyes, feeling his old and aching body once more. Beside him was Niime, no longer her young, beautiful self, but now an old woman in a large dark cloak. The pair stood in front of Bern Keep, surrounded by Lycian and Etrurian troops as they prepared to take the castle under siege. He looked in his hands to find Elimine's holy Saint Staff and her tome, Aureola. He blinked a few times as he adjusted to everything around them, but soon managed to regain his bearings.

"What were you doing?" the old hag asked. "I almost thought you'd up and died."

"No, I was just reminiscing about the past. If I close my eyes, I can see it all as if it were happening right now…"

"Heh… Finally going senile, are we?" she remarked.

"Foul words still pour from your mouth as they always did…" he countered. From the head of the group of soldiers, a horn sounded, and the army began to move in on the castle.

"Well, now's not the time to be stuck in the past," Niime told him as they moved along with the rest of the soldiers. "We do have a war to end today."

"Yes… You're right." The soldiers became divided into two groups, one heading to the eastern end of the castle while the other went to the western end. "Say, Niime… What will you do once this war is over?"

"Who knows? I already told you our paths will not cross again. We'll part ways, just like before."

"…Niime, you and I have changed," he said after a short pause. "Our paths may just cross again one day. I will pray for it."

A commanding officer was shouting orders, directing soldiers into one of the two groups. Yodel was assigned to the eastern group, while Niime was to go west.

"…Well, no one can know the future," she spoke as they both hesitated to go with their groups. "A path that splits at one point… may just rejoin further down the road… Who can say?"

They finally separated and fell in with their respective groups, but they locked eyes for as long as they could before they each disappeared from each other's sight.


End file.
